When a Foreigner Dies in Puerto Escondido

Cemetery, La Barra

Going back to the land is how I envision my body
after death, so I asked Juan Carlos Alcalá Gaspar of Funerales
Alcalá and Armando Carreño Aquino of Funerales Díaz how
a foreigner gets to be buried (or cremated) in Puerto Escondido.

The funeral home is called and comes to pick up the body, provided
that the death was the result of a pathological condition (e.g.
you had a heart attack). Otherwise the death is considered violent;
then the body is removed by the police for an autopsy. Violent
deaths include falls, drowning and automobile accidents.

Cemetery, Puerto Escondidoduring Day of the Dead

The funeral home will get the death certificate (certificado de
difunción) from the Civil Registry for your doctor to fill out. After it
is stamped by the registrar, they will send the original by courier to
your embassy. (Someone should also call the embassy to tell them
of your death.) At that point, the practices of the two mortuaries
diverge.

If Funerales Alcalá has your body, you can be buried, sent to a
crematorium in Oaxaca, or transported to Mexico City for shipment
to your home country, within 24 hours. The decision is made by
whoever has your passport and is paying the bill.

Cemetery, La Barra

They charge a flat fee of 6,000 pesos ($480 U.S.) for pick-up, paperwork
(including contacting your embassy), and burial in a simple
wood coffin at one of the four cemeteries serving Puerto Escondido
and Santa María Colotepec. The cost for cremation is 12,000
pesos ($960 U.S.). (There is no crematorium in Puerto and the body
has to be transported to Oaxaca.) Funerales Alcalá can also arrange
for your body to be sent abroad in a metal box required by airlines.
The fee for this service, including embalming and ground transport
to Mexico City is 18,000 pesos, ($1,440 U.S.) plus whatever the airlines
charge.

Cemetery, Puerto Escondidoduring Day of the Dead

Funerales Díaz, on the other hand, requires the consent of your
next-of-kin or a person who has power-of-attorney, notarized by
Mexican notary, for your burial arrangements. (Note: this is not
the same as a regular power-of-attorney - which expires on your
death.) If a family member (or person with power-of-attorney) is
not in Puerto when you die, it may take some time before a nextof-
kin is notified, and your body will have to be embalmed and put
into storage. (Mexican law requires embalmment after 48 hours.)
Funerales Díaz also has a chapel for funeral services.

Cemetery, La Barra

Armando Carreño of Funerales Díaz says that each death is different,
and we were unable to get a list of his prices. But a Puerto
woman we interviewed said she paid Funerales Díaz 58,000 pesos
($4,660 U.S.) to have her husband’s remains sent to Fort Worth, Texas
in 2011. Since the bill was not itemized, she does not know what
his fees were. Another Puerto resident said he paid the mortuary
38,000 pesos in 2013 ($3,040 U.S.) to have his wife cremated.

Register with your embassy. Let them know whom to contact in
case of your death. Your heirs will need a death certificate from
the embassy in order to collect your life insurance and to settle
your estate.

If you have assets outside of Mexico, you need to have a will in
that country.

If you have a fideicomiso on your property, you do not need to
have a Mexican will. In all other cases (like being a partner in a
corporation or having other assets) you do. A Mexican legacy
will, which only covers your assets in Mexico - you don’t want to
have competing wills - must be witnessed by a Mexican notary.

Make someone a co-owner of your bank accounts in Mexico
and the U.S. so they can access your funds.

Have your doctor’s name and phone number handy. He or she
should be called immediately, as the doctor will later have to
sign the death certificate.

Make a list of all your assets including bank accounts. Write
down where you have hidden your cash, passport, credit cards,
ATM cards and PINs etc. and give a copy to a trusted friend or
relation. (Tip: for extra security, do not put your name on the
list.)